The Engine Dilemma
by Rogue Darth Skywalker
Summary: In which Anakin is torn between being proud that Luke made a semi-functional engine but has to share his wife's anger because it exploded and caused fire damage to the living room. But, it's a functional engine and he can't help but be proud that his son is a mechanical genius like him.


**Just a short little story I wrote based on a little post I made on Tumblr not too long ago.**

**Enjoy!**

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Furious did not even begin to describe what she was feeling. Padme had hoped to enjoy a nice relaxing vacation with her family at the lake house. No Senate, no Jedi, no school… Just her, Anakin and their twins. Everything had started out so perfect. They spent a few days relaxing on the shores, going for swims, and spent dinner laughing on the patio while the gentle Naboo breeze lulled them all into a relaxed state that was so different from what life was like back on Coruscant. Padme wished they could stay here forever, far from the stresses of city life and public service where they are barely given any privacy. But that dream-like world was now shattered with the reality of parenting.

She took her eyes off her son for little more than an hour only to be jolted by a loud bang! And the rumbling of the foundation. Her first thought was an assassin and immediate fear for her children had her racing for to source of the explosion. Anakin had heard it too, running in from his morning exercise to join her in uncovering whatever plot had disrupted their vacation. The explosion originated from the small garage that Anakin used for his little mechanical experiments. He had about three droids he worked on spastically and several spare engines he liked to dabble with. The source of the explosion was one of said engines. And standing off to the side, was their son, Luke. His face was smeared with soot and he had a small work apron tied around his body and a mechanical driver held firmly in his hand.

Padme immediately rushed to her son, and looked him over, her hands running up and down him as she searched her boy for injuries. His face scrunched at her attention, but she paid no mind. Her first job was always to make sure her babies were safe and healthy regardless of their complaints. As Luke batted at her hands, she sufficed that if he was fighting her off, then he must be in good health. satisfied, she then surveyed the damage that Anakin was already looking at. The wall separating the garage from the rest of the house was gone, and the living room curtains were either singed or partially burned away. The couch in the other room was now blackened by soot that probably wouldn't come out, and one of the partially completed droids was now damaged beyond repair.

Her eyes found Luke's as he darted his eyes between the engine and the tool in his hand and the far wall. Padme glanced between the now wall-less living room and her son who is clearly the guilty party. "Luke," She started, "What did your father and I tell you about playing with the engines?"

Their son gave a small shrug, "Don't do it," He mumbled.

"Don't play with your father's things," She repeated.

"But he had it wired all wrong!" Luke argued, "The power converter was backwards and the fuel shift was connected to the upward thrust!"

Padme shook her head, "Your father never wires anything wrong."

Beside her Anakin let out a small hiss as he leaned closer to her, "Actually, that one was the scavenged pod racer engine. I haven't even gotten around to fixing it yet," He started, "But, what he said is actually right. It wasn't set up right. That's why I got it so cheap."

Her eyes widened as she turned her head to look at her husband. His eyes were firmly on his son as he was clearly fighting back a smile. The corners of his lips twitched, and his eyes twinkled in the same way they did whenever the twins showed off their Force abilities. It seemed Luke had inherited his father's love and talent for mechanics. And the proud father was torn between being the disciplinarian he should be, and the obsessed ten-year-old who shared his son's evident interest. "Anakin," She said warningly, "Now isn't the time."

He turned fully towards her to hide his face from Luke as he broke out into the excited grin he desperately wanted to share with his son. "But it's an engine!" He whispered, "He fixed an engine!"

"He blew up an engine!"

He gave a shrug, as he led her through the wall to the living room to give them some space to talk in semi-privacy before talking to Luke again. "I probably blew up twenty engines by the time I was his age! It's all apart of learning," Anakin argued.

"He blew up part of the house!"

He let out a conflicted hiss, "I can fix that. We can have Darred and your sister come over, he and I throw up a wall, the twins get to spend time with their cousins…"

"And Luke? Where is he in all of this?"

He gave a shrug, "With me and Darred, of course. If he's going to work on things in here, he'll need to know how to clean up his messes."

Padme raised a brow, "You're going to let him in here again?" She asked, "After taking down a wall?" Clearly, the two of them seemed to disagree on what to do. As much as she wanted to encourage her children in all they did, she wasn't much of a fan of letting her son put their house at risk should another misfire happen.

"I'll supervise him," He suggested, "He'll be fine with me, I promise."

She wanted to believe him. She wanted to think another mistake like this wouldn't happen again with Anakin around… but, she knew her husband and sometimes he was worse then their children when it came to his antics. And while she trusted him not to destroy their house, she knew he would just be dying to show off to his son, and that was what was most likely to take the entire house down next time.

Anakin held his hands together in a pleading gesture towards her, "Come on," He urged, "We'll start small, and maybe we'll build a workspace separate from the entire house eventually… this isn't something we need to reprimand him for entirely."

She thought about it for a moment, and she did want Luke to explore this newfound skill of his while he is interested. But at the same time, they could not let him get away completely clean. He did damage the house after all. "Very well," She conceeded, but she held her finger up at her husband, "But I'm talking to him about this first," She said. She could not have Anakin showering their son with praise before he understands the trouble he is in and the trouble he will be in should it happen again. Anakin pumped his fist, excited at the little victory and she had to resist rolling her eyes. She swears with him it's like she has a third child!


End file.
